Stuck in the Summer
by HPinGLAM
Summary: Harry/Draco pairing. Don't like, don't read. TBC


(Note: This takes place the summer after the fourth year. Cedric is dead, and Sirius is still on the run. Harry is filled with much guilt.)

"Harry!" yelled Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. Harry awoke with a start, glanced at the clock next to his bed, and leapt to his feet.

'Shit, I forgot to make them breakfast.' Harry cursed to himself. It's always Harry's job to wake up at the crack of dawn to fix the Dursleys their breakfast. Today, however Harry had overslept. According to the Dursleys, who were far too lazy to make their own breakfast, since they allowed Harry to live there he had to repay them for the "kindness" that they have shown him. (AN: Please take note of the heavy sarcasm there).

Harry rushed to get dressed, in his extremely baggy black jeans, and dirty white collard shirt. He ran out of his cupboard, (he had been moved back down to his cupboard this summer) praying that his uncle was too tired to hit him and would only yell at him. Harry neglected to mention his beatings to his friends because deep down inside, he himself felt as though he deserved them. After all, Harry still blamed himself for Cedric's death. In his mind, he felt that everyone he held dear were getting killed because of him.

As Harry rounded the corner into the kitchen. He was welcomed by a very angry uncle with a hot frying pan. (A.N: In book two: Aunt Petunia swings a soapy, wet frying pan at Harry, so only logically Uncle Vernon likes to use the "Frying pan".) Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry

"Is this the thanks I get? I take you into our home, I feed you, clothe you, and all I ask in return is that you do a few household chores." Vernon took the scolding frying pan and smacked Harry across the face with it. Harry does not make a sound, since doing so would only resort in more of a beating.

"You are to wake up at 5:30 to make breakfast. Do you see what time it is? It's 6:00 and because of you, I am going to be late for work. Now get to work, you pathetic excuse for a boy. And when I get home, all you chores had better be completed. I'll beat you so bad, you won't know what hit you. I don't know how you heal every morning but if I catch you doing that in my house, you will be dead, faster then you can scream for Help! Got it?" With that Vernon left Harry to his chores.

Harry had some healing potions that he made while he was at Hogwarts, just in case Dudley had decided to resort to using Harry as a punching bag again. Harry had thought that he had made far too many potions for just one summer. When he realized that the beatings were not going to stop, he cut the dosages down to half. Even though half the potion still healed him, it took twice as long and only worked one third as well.

Often times, Harry would still feel tremendous pain from extreme injuries; such as when he had his ribs broken, for weeks afterwards. Even though he had cut down on the amount of potion he used, by the end of summer he was running extremely low on some, and had even ran out of others. A few times he had owled Mrs. Weasley for some extra potion, saying that he had fallen, or knocked some hot food he was cooking on him self (He offered to pay for the ingredients, but she refused. Harry didn't ask her too often so he also owled some of his friends. He had it down to an art.

Earlier in the summer, Aunt Petunia had the idea to give Dudley; the laziest of all the Dursleys, liposuction, where they just suck the fat right out of him. Dudley had become so lazy now that he was skinny and did not have to exercise at all. He barely left his room unless to go to the bathroom. (By the way isn't sloth one of the seven deadly sins? Poor Dudley sits on his arse right to hell. Now doesn't that put a smile on your face :)?

Last month, Aunt Petunia and Dudley left Uncle Vernon. She's filling for divorce However, since she left, the beatings had gotten worse.

After making breakfast, Harry ran to his room, (if you can call the cupboard under the stairs a room). Harry had begun the habit of writing in his diary. It was Hermione's idea, with all that has happened, she told him it would make him sort out his thoughts and make him feel better if he wrote about it.

Harry did all his chores, the cooking, the vacuuming, the laundry, dishes, dusting, lawn, you name it, and Harry did it. He was like a slave to his own family. Harry started to feel like a house elf. Which reminded him of S. P. E. W.? He understood how the house elves felt about working. He liked doing all his chores as odd as that may sound. It kept him from his own self loathing and it kept him sane. If he was not working then all he could think about were Cedric, his Parents, and Sirius.

Harry may have been depressed last year but he held a great facade. Not even Hermione could tell Harry was unhappy. Harry showed the normal amount of depression the average teen shows so that he would not seem to happy, because the only way his facade would fail is if it worked to well. Harry became a master at hiding his true feelings. Harry still had his nightmares so he placed a silencing spell around his dorm. Dumbledore also gave Harry permission to place one in his room at the Dursleys so he would not disturb them if he was having a nightmare. Because ever since Voldermort had risen, Harry's nightmares had grown steadily worse.

Often times, Harry would blackout from the sheer intensity of the pain in his scar. Unfortunately, falling in to unconsciousness, though peaceful and dreamless, only served to make his uncle angrier.

It was one more week till Harry's birthday, and when the Weasleys came to take him home for the remainder of summer. The week went by relatively fast, receiving a few more beatings from Vernon for dropping an egg and missing a spot when he cleaned the kitchen. In a way, Harry was glad that he would be leaving tomorrow for Ron's. He missed his friend. He wanted so badly to leave the Dursley's house, even though he felt a little like he deserved those beatings, part of him was saying that he did not and it was not his fault. He so wanted to believe that part of him. Even though he was depressed now when he saw Ron, the depression melted away. Just pulled deep inside, hidden from even himself, just waiting to be released. Actually, joy took over for awhile. It's been so long since he smiled.

"Happy Birthday!" yelled Hermione as she ran and hugged Harry. "I've missed you. Can you believe it . . . we're going to be fifth years and that's supposed to be the most important year? I've already been studying for my Owl's!"

"Study, study, study! It's summer, come on, 'Mione, let's go have some fun." suggested Ron.

Harry said hi to Ron's parents and Ginny. The twins were out and Percy was at work. Bill was coming later since he only lived an hour away, and Charlie, well he was out and about somewhere. Hermione handed Harry a package wrapped in green foil with a gold bow.

"Happy Birthday, I hope you like it." Harry opened it. It was a book called, 10 Real Owl's: A Study Guide to Passing the Test. (Gee I wonder where that came from. Well Duh . . . 10 real SAT's) Also in the box was a magical disc man and CD of a popular wizarding band. Harry Gave Hermione a big hug. " I love it!" Harry said.

"Harry I'll give you your present tonight when we get back." said Ron

"Sure that's fine . . . who's up for some Quidditch"

Ron had to keep his door open as he, Hermione, and Harry shared a room. Ron handed Harry a package wrapped in red paper.

"Happy Birthday!" Harry opened the package; he turned a ghastly white as a single tear rolled down his face. He stared at the gift for a few minutes completely silent. When he finally was able to speak his voice was weak a raspy

"Ron, I ...I love it." Harry whispered as he placed the box down and hugged Ron.

"Harry, I would like to breathe please!"

"Sorry" replied Harry as he let go of his death grip on Ron. Hermione looked in the box and could not believe what she saw. A picture of Harry as a baby with Sirius, James, and Lily, all together pasted neatly in a wooden frame.

"It was my mum's she was a friend of your mums. She thought you should have it."

After everyone was asleep, Harry got up and looked at the picture in the moon light. He stared at it for what seemed like hours, the tears silently rolling down his eyes. Even though his vision was blurred so the he could no longer see the picture, he still stared. "Why?" Harry whispered in to the night sky "Why did you have to die? It's not fair." 'He banged his fist softly against the window pane, knowing that no matter what potion he could cook up, he could never regain his parents again.

Ron awoke and looked at the clock. "3 am, God Harry's still awake. I should go over to him."

Just as Ron was going to get up and go over to Harry, he began to speak. "I miss you, but I am not going to cry any more. I can't. You wouldn't want me to cry. You were so strong . . . You always wanted me to be happy and I am happy. I have my friends. I have Ron and Hermione, they are my best friends. I also have the Weasleys and the rest of the Gryffindor. I know that they care for me, that they are my friends, but it's not the same as family. You were my family, the only family I will ever have. When I needed you, you were there. You gave up your lives for me. I believe that the dead guide us by our intuition so I know your there. Although I feel like a nut, talking to my self, it sure beats talking to a bloody diary. I think it's easer to think out loud, then in my head." Harry put the picture away and fell asleep finally.

Ron, after listening to Harry talk out his problem let a tear role down his face. Sending a prayer up to Harry's folks. "Please help Harry. He needs guidance and if he says that you are his intuition then help him, he needs it." Ron drifted back to sleep.

Hermione was the first to awaken. She was sleeping on Ron's bed while he and Harry were in sleeping bags on the floor. "Wake up, sleepy heads!" Two grumbled moans were heard from the two boys. "Come on, I'm leaving to go home soon." She called. Harry slyly grabbed his pillow, looking Ron in the eye as to tell him his idea. Ron smiled. As Hermione was about to give up and go help Ron's mom in the kitchen, Harry and Ron threw their pillows at her as they stood up.

Laughing, "She had no idea it was coming!" Ron said between laughs.. After breakfast, Hermione had to leave to go home. "I'll see you at Dragon Alley next weekend, right?"

"Yes, don't worry, we'll be there!" Shouted Ron as Hermione was sucked in to the fireplace by floo powder.


End file.
